This is the PowerPoint I used today having spoken at Brentwood Baptist Church, the church from whence I came...
Click here (will take you away from this page, do come back...!)
Sunday, 20 June 2010
Saturday, 19 June 2010
Numbertastic
It feels like we live in a world of statistics sometimes doesn’t it?
Meaningless big numbers whether we’re talking debt and deficit or population or distance. Here’s some more big numbers: If we woke up today with more health than illness, we are more fortunate than one million people who will not survive the week.
If we have never been shot at, or imprisoned, or tortured, or starved, we are more fortunate than 500 million people in the world.
Recently I heard a wonderful way of making a certain statistic a bit more manageable:
A billion people live on less than a dollar a day, and two billion on less than $2 – that’s a third of the planet’s population. I know a billion is a big number – but do you know how big? If we counted to one million, at a rate of one number per second, it would take us 11 days.
With this in mind, how long do you think it would take us to count to 1 billion?
It’s actually 32 years. But if 10 of us do the counting – it’s only 3 yrs.
If 100 it’s about 4 months… and a 1000, brings the task to 11 days.
The seemingly impossibly big challenges can be cracked if a community of people say – together, in a loud, clear voice, enough – this must be done.
And this is what happens every year in Christian Aid Week, when a third of a million people – another enormous number – take to the streets to collect money house to house, and many, many more run coffee mornings, events, sponsored walks – all sorts of things that raise money and awareness for the work of Christian Aid and our vision to end, yes END, poverty. It’s a huge task, but one we’re undertaking together.
Meaningless big numbers whether we’re talking debt and deficit or population or distance. Here’s some more big numbers: If we woke up today with more health than illness, we are more fortunate than one million people who will not survive the week.
If we have never been shot at, or imprisoned, or tortured, or starved, we are more fortunate than 500 million people in the world.
Recently I heard a wonderful way of making a certain statistic a bit more manageable:
A billion people live on less than a dollar a day, and two billion on less than $2 – that’s a third of the planet’s population. I know a billion is a big number – but do you know how big? If we counted to one million, at a rate of one number per second, it would take us 11 days.
With this in mind, how long do you think it would take us to count to 1 billion?
It’s actually 32 years. But if 10 of us do the counting – it’s only 3 yrs.
If 100 it’s about 4 months… and a 1000, brings the task to 11 days.
The seemingly impossibly big challenges can be cracked if a community of people say – together, in a loud, clear voice, enough – this must be done.
And this is what happens every year in Christian Aid Week, when a third of a million people – another enormous number – take to the streets to collect money house to house, and many, many more run coffee mornings, events, sponsored walks – all sorts of things that raise money and awareness for the work of Christian Aid and our vision to end, yes END, poverty. It’s a huge task, but one we’re undertaking together.
Tuesday, 15 June 2010
Live
So, what are you looking for? Happiness maybe? Relationships, respect, security?
It seems perfectly reasonable that we would search for such things and others, we understand that we have the right to live as whole human beings. Through my work and personal encounters I know that there are many people not even close to ticking off their list anything they are looking for. For the majority of the world, the poorest on our earth – they are ‘just’ about living.
Let me narrow the question – What are you looking for in church? Are your answers the same? And how are your needs met? My experience with churches suggests that for most people, including clergy, we’re not quite hitting the mark. For some churches and for many Christians, well - it sometimes feels like we are ‘just’ about getting by.
So here’s a thought, how about we all embark on just living. Living justly. It’s when we look beyond ourselves, as churches, as Christians, as human beings, that we start to embrace what this life has to offer us and each and every person on this planet. Justice should be a core part of what we do and who we are – not an add on extra once the church roof is fixed…!
Christian Aid allows us to live out our values in an astounding way; to visibly embark on just living through our prayers, actions, collections, events and support as we stand alongside those tackling poverty and injustice around the world. Everything we do for Christian Aid joins with a movement that is tackling the root causes of poverty and helping people of all faiths and backgrounds help themselves to a better life.
Let’s not just live. Let’s live justly.
It seems perfectly reasonable that we would search for such things and others, we understand that we have the right to live as whole human beings. Through my work and personal encounters I know that there are many people not even close to ticking off their list anything they are looking for. For the majority of the world, the poorest on our earth – they are ‘just’ about living.
Let me narrow the question – What are you looking for in church? Are your answers the same? And how are your needs met? My experience with churches suggests that for most people, including clergy, we’re not quite hitting the mark. For some churches and for many Christians, well - it sometimes feels like we are ‘just’ about getting by.
So here’s a thought, how about we all embark on just living. Living justly. It’s when we look beyond ourselves, as churches, as Christians, as human beings, that we start to embrace what this life has to offer us and each and every person on this planet. Justice should be a core part of what we do and who we are – not an add on extra once the church roof is fixed…!
Christian Aid allows us to live out our values in an astounding way; to visibly embark on just living through our prayers, actions, collections, events and support as we stand alongside those tackling poverty and injustice around the world. Everything we do for Christian Aid joins with a movement that is tackling the root causes of poverty and helping people of all faiths and backgrounds help themselves to a better life.
Let’s not just live. Let’s live justly.
Saturday, 12 June 2010
Messiness
I grew up in the church and was a youth worker in various churches and denominations. I had a pretty tidy view of God; there were the answers I’d learnt mainly in Sunday School and Youth Group, and anything I couldn’t grasp I put down to my youth. Tidy.
The thing is that through my travels around the world and my work, I’ve been exposed to seeing the world as it is – a world of pain and suffering and struggle. So my once neat and tidy image of God no longer fits. Where is my God of love who saves us, where’s my gentle Jesus meek and mild? Now my image of God has no neat lines or easy answers. It is an image that challenges me and fills my world with more questions than I have answers. Messy.
Maybe it’s just my awkward character, but I’ve come to quite like that God isn’t that easy to put in a box. I like that my messy God understands my messy spirituality, which seems to reflect a messy world. But this untidy God hasn’t left us without any idea of how we should be. In the early 20th century George McLeod wrote this:
“I simply argue that the cross be raised again at the centre of the market place as well as on the steeple of the church. I am recovering the claim that Jesus was not crucified in a cathedral between two candles, but on a cross between two thieves, on the town garbage heap, at a crossroads so cosmopolitan that they had to write his title in Hebrew, Latin and Greek. It was the kind of place where cynics talk smut, thieves curse, and soldiers gamble. That’s where he died. And that’s where Christians ought to be and what Christians ought to be about.”
That quote reminds me that if we shy away from the frontline, if we’re too comfortable, we become ineffective. Being tidy about our faith and our mission might well be the easy option, but it’s when we get messy that we start getting the job done.
The thing is that through my travels around the world and my work, I’ve been exposed to seeing the world as it is – a world of pain and suffering and struggle. So my once neat and tidy image of God no longer fits. Where is my God of love who saves us, where’s my gentle Jesus meek and mild? Now my image of God has no neat lines or easy answers. It is an image that challenges me and fills my world with more questions than I have answers. Messy.
Maybe it’s just my awkward character, but I’ve come to quite like that God isn’t that easy to put in a box. I like that my messy God understands my messy spirituality, which seems to reflect a messy world. But this untidy God hasn’t left us without any idea of how we should be. In the early 20th century George McLeod wrote this:
“I simply argue that the cross be raised again at the centre of the market place as well as on the steeple of the church. I am recovering the claim that Jesus was not crucified in a cathedral between two candles, but on a cross between two thieves, on the town garbage heap, at a crossroads so cosmopolitan that they had to write his title in Hebrew, Latin and Greek. It was the kind of place where cynics talk smut, thieves curse, and soldiers gamble. That’s where he died. And that’s where Christians ought to be and what Christians ought to be about.”
That quote reminds me that if we shy away from the frontline, if we’re too comfortable, we become ineffective. Being tidy about our faith and our mission might well be the easy option, but it’s when we get messy that we start getting the job done.
Wednesday, 9 June 2010
Saturday, 27 February 2010
Provoked a response much?
I'd like to give my last post some context and explanation, particularly for those who fear I'm having a panicked meltdown...
I'm not panicked. I'm quietly unsettled. There are a few reasons why.
When I was 12 I stopped going to school, and never really went back. I didn't know it til years after I recovered, but I had ME (also know as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome). How I managed to get some qualification and get where I am today is another story, the point I'm making here is that for about 5 years I could barely do anything, hardly take part in life and was fearfully aware that I might never get better. The life I pictured for myself drifted between 'the plan' (see previous post), and weeks spent in bed as an observer to the real world.
Today I don't take much for granted - or at least I try not to. I have to be a little careful and I know when my body and mind has had enough, and I have bad days occasionally. But all in all, I have it bloody good.
So, there is certainly an element of making up for lost time, and making the most of every bit of time I have to come.
There is another reason though.
I've seen some outrageous stuff, and heard some appalling stories. I can't sit still. I can't.
Not only is my life privileged, but I am unsettled because my soul has been shaken with anger and sadness. Time is a privilege, as is having the multitude of choices before me. Life is precious and I want to live mine with gratitude and to its fullest. My soul is determined there is a better world up for grabs and surely choosing to be part of building it is what truly makes you alive?
I am hard on myself - and that's something I concede that I need to work on.
But don't expect me to 'chill out' anytime soon. I will search for some peace and rest, and some balance even. But my soul will continue to be unsettled.
I'm not panicked. I'm quietly unsettled. There are a few reasons why.
When I was 12 I stopped going to school, and never really went back. I didn't know it til years after I recovered, but I had ME (also know as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome). How I managed to get some qualification and get where I am today is another story, the point I'm making here is that for about 5 years I could barely do anything, hardly take part in life and was fearfully aware that I might never get better. The life I pictured for myself drifted between 'the plan' (see previous post), and weeks spent in bed as an observer to the real world.
Today I don't take much for granted - or at least I try not to. I have to be a little careful and I know when my body and mind has had enough, and I have bad days occasionally. But all in all, I have it bloody good.
So, there is certainly an element of making up for lost time, and making the most of every bit of time I have to come.
There is another reason though.
I've seen some outrageous stuff, and heard some appalling stories. I can't sit still. I can't.
Not only is my life privileged, but I am unsettled because my soul has been shaken with anger and sadness. Time is a privilege, as is having the multitude of choices before me. Life is precious and I want to live mine with gratitude and to its fullest. My soul is determined there is a better world up for grabs and surely choosing to be part of building it is what truly makes you alive?
I am hard on myself - and that's something I concede that I need to work on.
But don't expect me to 'chill out' anytime soon. I will search for some peace and rest, and some balance even. But my soul will continue to be unsettled.
Wednesday, 24 February 2010
Thus far
I've not blogged for a while, because there was an earthquake... and then a fire... my brother embarked on an unexpected candle making venture the results of which have left my house fragrant... and a few other interesting happenings that have until now, left my brain unable to form any thoughts suitable for blogging consumption.
I had a feeling that 2010 would somehow be significant, I'm just panicked by the speed at which it is flying by.
I know I'm not the only one who has done this, but I've always had 'the life plan' - the one where you know what age you expect to be married, have babies, settle into a career... This year, was the year where I had to let go of the plan. And may I add, willingly. I hadn't realised I still held on to it (I was supposed to be married at 24/25, career gently moving forward in a settled way from aged 25, and the rest followed) but when I turned 25 last week I felt some burden of expectation disappear! Odd.
Now, I'm aware that I can trundle along comfortably whilst complaining that life is going too fast, or .. something else. Challenge myself maybe, possibly put a bit of effort into making life interesting. Being brave enough to put myself out there - my confidence can longer lie in being 'remarkably young to be doing what I'm doing', it has to be in being good at it.
Also, I think I should probably try to go on holiday some time.
I had a feeling that 2010 would somehow be significant, I'm just panicked by the speed at which it is flying by.
I know I'm not the only one who has done this, but I've always had 'the life plan' - the one where you know what age you expect to be married, have babies, settle into a career... This year, was the year where I had to let go of the plan. And may I add, willingly. I hadn't realised I still held on to it (I was supposed to be married at 24/25, career gently moving forward in a settled way from aged 25, and the rest followed) but when I turned 25 last week I felt some burden of expectation disappear! Odd.
Now, I'm aware that I can trundle along comfortably whilst complaining that life is going too fast, or .. something else. Challenge myself maybe, possibly put a bit of effort into making life interesting. Being brave enough to put myself out there - my confidence can longer lie in being 'remarkably young to be doing what I'm doing', it has to be in being good at it.
Also, I think I should probably try to go on holiday some time.
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